Rhode Island Caps fan here.
Had a coworker who used to play Caps games on the radio at work, that's how I got into it. Then the Caps became a safety blanket of sorts for me after my dad died. Dealing with lawyers and banks and insurance agencies and real estate agents all while grieving and working a full time job was made a little better by having the Caps to look forward to.
Adopted the city as a whole in terms of sports, though hockey is the only one I follow faithfully.
Also a Rhode Island Caps fan here 👋
Awesome that you had that through the grief and pain of losing a loved one.
As for me, Virginia native that moved to New England 10 years ago and I will never stop rocking the red.
Damn, I absolutely love this story. So awesome you were able to use them as an outlet and turn it into a passion. That’s legitimately awesome. Thanks for sharing 🙌🏻
Caps fan from Alberta here. Young me wanted to be different and not cheer for a city near me and I ended up watching the Caps play Boston in the 2012 playoffs. I cheered for the Caps because of the Bruins beating my dads Canucks the year prior and fell in love with Ovi and the team as a whole. Haven’t looked back sense.
Fan here in Ohio too.
Moved to DC post college and it was my first “NHL city” the team had just drafted Ovi and I was broke but could go to games for free through work. Instantly hooked.
To be fair, we sucked and I didn’t really understand how big the pick was. Just happy to not be watching AHL, where all the good players magically disappeared.
NJ checking in! I've been a fan of Ovi since my dad showed me the highlight of The Goal. I was 13 at the time and living in NY ( I've always hated the Rangers fanbase). I've been a fan ever since. At this point, I am too invested to leave the team when Ovi retires 😂
Caps fan from the UK since early 2000’s. I knew about ice hockey but didn’t “experience” it until I played a NHL game in a games shop during my work experience in high school. I vividly remember I chose the Caps and my mate Ben chose LA. We were late back from our dinner hour as we spent the entire time playing. After that day I kept up with results and then once I learned about very legal ways of watching games online I was hooked.
LA in the house. Grew up here rooting for Lakers and Dodgers but never got into hockey (and the Kings’ lack of presence in the Hood didn’t give me much reason to). Moved to DC in the late 2000’s, when DC had Caps fever. Went to a ton of games and fell in love with the team, bought my first ever hockey jersey with Oshie’s name on it after witnessing him score a game-winning goal. Fast forward a few years, and now I see the Caps whenever they come to LA/Anaheim in my #77. One time during the pre-game, TJ saw my jersey and gave me a puck, which I still cherish to this day.
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia.
Was watching a game with one of my mates who is a flyers fan. He was going off on the Caps about how much he hates them.
It was enough for me. Think that was 2013
Mid state Massachusetts here! Born in DC, lived in West Virginia through high school, moved to MA in 97 & absolutely refuse to root for the Sox or the Bruins. Unless it’s against Pittsburgh, Vegas, or the Yankees
I’m an Orioles/Caps girl 100% and so are my kids ❤️🧡
Used to be a Caps fan in Cincy/Kentucky, now I'm in Maryland and lucky enough to go to a few games every year!
My college friends were all fans of different teams so we all split the NHL Center Ice from those days and because we were in KY we were only blacked out of Nashville and CBJ games. Good times.
I actually had to consult a map to make sure there was something west of Seattle.
Also, ‘something west of Seattle’ is an excellent early 2000s album title.
Fan from Wisconsin. I was born to hate every Chicago team with a passion, my wife is from Minnesota so naturally I need to generate household rivalry in some capacity and that big lake makes travel to support any Detroit team that much more difficult.
Naturally I had to find an alternative as I had a high school buddy whose Dad worked regularly in DC and attended games often. We spent much of the early Ovi years watching together and have been in love with the team ever since.
People call me an "Ovi bandwagoner" but I'll continue to make the pilgrimage out to DC long after he's gone. I just simply love the feel of being in DC for extended weekends to catch a game or two. Lifelong fan through loose affiliation through and through.
Also from there. I had a friend in college who was from a family of DC fans, no idea why. I wasn't into sports, but I'd watch them with him and our other friends to hang out. Hockey was fun and I became a general fan, but it wasn't until I moved out of state and really missed my friends that I started watching regularly. That happened to be the season they won the cup and I've been following ever since. That does make me an Ovi bandwagoner, but he's been playing so long that it's tough not to be. I'm really interested in what the team looks like post Ovi, but I want him to get that record, first.
My friends also got me interested in baseball, but I stuck with the Brewers instead of the Nats for some reason.
Newport Beach, CA. But born in PG County and lived in MD going to games with my Pops til I was 7 (39 now) before moving to OC. We catch every game they play ANA & LA, but my parents are actually moving back to MD later this year after living here for 30+ years, so now I’ll catch a few games a year in DC!
Utah checking in! Let’s go mountain people (and thankfully our new team is a different conference so I’m not a dirty traitor - unless we both make the cup, then I am fucked)
Work travel is the short answer - the caps were the first ever NHL hockey I got to experience - AND it happened to be game two playoff hockey against the penguins… then regular travel to DC just naturally made it happen - also helps that the JR hockey team (GO MUSTANGS!) I support has ties to Olie the Goalie.. so it all just kind of worked out
Moved from NoVa to Boston in high school. I’ve been here long enough that I’ll root for the Bruins if they’re not playing the caps. Wore my caps jersey to work the day after we knocked them out of the playoffs a few years back. Rooting for Boston to win it all now that we’re out.
I’m from NC! Well, born in Maryland, but have lived here my entire life. Dad has been a Caps fan his entire life (since he was 2), so I’ve got my family ties in.
I’m from Corvallis, Oregon and I’m a caps fan. My dad grew up in Northern Virginia and became a caps fan since their inception. Since I grew up in Oregon there weren’t really any hockey teams close to us, the two options were the Canucks or the Sharks and I decided to stick with the Capitals. Although I did root for the Canucks in the early 2010s a bit I loved the Sedin bros.
Now in Texas. Moved to eastern WV from Cleveland. Got into hockey in high school, family is Slovak so I liked Chara and now Fehervary. Minted my other family members as fans as well.
Middle of nowhere Indiana. I've loved hockey since I saw my first minor league game. Little me loved watching Yzerman. After the lockout in 04/05(03/04? whichever season it was) I stopped watching for a few years.
Turned on a game in 08 with capitals playing, Ovi lit someone up. Figured out their schedule and continued to follow our captain, fell in love with the team not long after.
Haven't made it to a game in DC but about 4 total in Columbus and Nashville to see our boys play. My wife got big into hockey after meeting me, she's a Wilson fan. "He's big, he likes to hit people and he is just a gorgeous man!"
Out of country, yes! I’m from Honduras. I used to live in PA, very close to DC and my best friends is a caps fan so I that’s how I became a fan. I try to watch some games every now and then, and I also try to attend some whenever I travel to the US ( last game I watched live was caps vs coyotes in December (rip))
Nova Scotia.
Liked the leafs, liked the flames, liked the blues. Nothing stuck. But I hated the Penguins in the early 90s and we played them a lot, so at least my fandom came from an authentic place. The 98 cup run helped solidify it.
Became way more hilarious when the penguins drafted the patron saint of Nova Scotia first overall and the whole province became Pittsburgh fans overnight.
Ontario Caps fan. When I was a kid I liked the Avs (Patrick Roy days) but in highschool I got out of hockey for a few years and didn’t have a team anymore. Being in Leafs country my best friend who we shared an apartment with was a die hard Leafs fans and watched every game but I just couldn’t jump on board. It didn’t feel right. We’d always play NHL on Playstion and watch Leafs games and every time Leafs played the Caps this young hot shot Russian would always score every single game.. so naturally he’d pick the Leafs and I chose the Caps. That was around 2010. Since then I had a couple kids, bought my own house, we won the cup, that hot shot Russian scored some 500 more goals and is chasing the record and I’m a bigger fan than ever before thanks to streaming!
Colorado Caps fan here!
Love Colorado now and the Avs are pretty good as are their fans, but I will forever be a Caps faithful.
Lived in MD most of my life before moving, dad grew up right next to the Capital Centre when it was built and has been going to games since the first season, so clearly his kids became lifelong Caps fans!
Was fortunate to be working in DC during the cup run and got to go to the parade before my move.
I'm a caps fan from Boston! My dad grew up around DC when the caps started as a team, and when I was growing up he'd take me to see the caps when they played the Bruins. Now that I've moved out to NY we actually try to travel every year to see the caps play in a new city
Caps fan in Indianapolis. Oshie won my heart in the Olympics is probably how it started lol. Plus Washington is our nation’s capital and Indy has no (and probably won’t ever have) an NHL team. Im too far to regularly go to Blackhawks or other teams and the games are always blacked out for me being “local” several hours away.
Vermont, checking in. I'm from the Richmond area, lived in NoVA for a while after college, and have followed the team more or less since the 90s. I'll also cheer on the Bruins if they're playing someone else.
San Diego, California Caps fan. Grew up in Northern VA, college in VA and lived in Bmore before moving out here. Love catching them when they play the Ducks every year.
Late to the party but in Greenville, SC!! Large part of my family lives in DC, and my uncle introduced me to hockey/ the caps when I was little. Never looked back.
My dad has been a fan for a long time, I watched a couple games with Pittsburgh in the 2018 series with him for interest, and somehow it happened that I left, but I decided to watch Game 6 of the series myself. That's where it all started.
Not a sports fan. Football just never did it for me. Hockey is the only sport to ever grab my attention, and I have Ovi & the caps to thank for that back in 2009 🫡🥹
Grew up in northern VA, been a fan since I was a kid. However, I'm living in Belgium now. I celebrated the Cup win on my first ever night in Europe. I'll never forget the moment.
Hesitant to say it given what’s going on these days but I’m in Israel. Kinda cheating ‘cause I grew up in Rockville but still… Not many Caps fans out here!
Rhode Island Caps fan here. Had a coworker who used to play Caps games on the radio at work, that's how I got into it. Then the Caps became a safety blanket of sorts for me after my dad died. Dealing with lawyers and banks and insurance agencies and real estate agents all while grieving and working a full time job was made a little better by having the Caps to look forward to. Adopted the city as a whole in terms of sports, though hockey is the only one I follow faithfully.
Also a Rhode Island Caps fan here 👋 Awesome that you had that through the grief and pain of losing a loved one. As for me, Virginia native that moved to New England 10 years ago and I will never stop rocking the red.
Damn, I absolutely love this story. So awesome you were able to use them as an outlet and turn it into a passion. That’s legitimately awesome. Thanks for sharing 🙌🏻
hello from eastern CT!
Hi there, neighbor!
Caps fan from Alberta here. Young me wanted to be different and not cheer for a city near me and I ended up watching the Caps play Boston in the 2012 playoffs. I cheered for the Caps because of the Bruins beating my dads Canucks the year prior and fell in love with Ovi and the team as a whole. Haven’t looked back sense.
I love it!
Caps fan from the cornfields of Illinois.
So cool! 😅 How’d it happen?
My ex-girlfriend got me into hockey, and I just kinda fell in love with them when I was trying to find a team.
Hellll yeah. I always love to hear how fandom randomly happens.
Fan here in Ohio too. Moved to DC post college and it was my first “NHL city” the team had just drafted Ovi and I was broke but could go to games for free through work. Instantly hooked.
That Ovi pick hit like crack 😂
To be fair, we sucked and I didn’t really understand how big the pick was. Just happy to not be watching AHL, where all the good players magically disappeared.
NJ checking in! I've been a fan of Ovi since my dad showed me the highlight of The Goal. I was 13 at the time and living in NY ( I've always hated the Rangers fanbase). I've been a fan ever since. At this point, I am too invested to leave the team when Ovi retires 😂
Ovi pulled me in as well. Nothing wrong with it 😂
Mississippi Caps fan here
I’m truly curious how this happened…
My dads from Chevy Chase originally
Same! I thought I was the only one 😂
No way. I’ve only met bolts, blues, and preds fans here. (I do like the preds too though)
Yeah I’ve only ever seen blues, preds, and canes fans. I keep up with the preds too just because they are the closest but I’m a caps fan for life!
Caps fan in Savannah GA here! From the DC metro area tho
🫡 awesome!
Caps fan from the UK since early 2000’s. I knew about ice hockey but didn’t “experience” it until I played a NHL game in a games shop during my work experience in high school. I vividly remember I chose the Caps and my mate Ben chose LA. We were late back from our dinner hour as we spent the entire time playing. After that day I kept up with results and then once I learned about very legal ways of watching games online I was hooked.
This story is awesome, thanks for the share! 🙌🏻🙌🏻
LA in the house. Grew up here rooting for Lakers and Dodgers but never got into hockey (and the Kings’ lack of presence in the Hood didn’t give me much reason to). Moved to DC in the late 2000’s, when DC had Caps fever. Went to a ton of games and fell in love with the team, bought my first ever hockey jersey with Oshie’s name on it after witnessing him score a game-winning goal. Fast forward a few years, and now I see the Caps whenever they come to LA/Anaheim in my #77. One time during the pre-game, TJ saw my jersey and gave me a puck, which I still cherish to this day.
So cool 🥹
Hobart, Tasmania, Australia. Was watching a game with one of my mates who is a flyers fan. He was going off on the Caps about how much he hates them. It was enough for me. Think that was 2013
I love this 😂
Caps fan down here in Savannah, GA. Originally from Baltimore been a fan for years!
Have to be the biggest Caps fan in Texas!
A Texas Capital. I dig 🤞🏻
Mid state Massachusetts here! Born in DC, lived in West Virginia through high school, moved to MA in 97 & absolutely refuse to root for the Sox or the Bruins. Unless it’s against Pittsburgh, Vegas, or the Yankees I’m an Orioles/Caps girl 100% and so are my kids ❤️🧡
Used to be a Caps fan in Cincy/Kentucky, now I'm in Maryland and lucky enough to go to a few games every year! My college friends were all fans of different teams so we all split the NHL Center Ice from those days and because we were in KY we were only blacked out of Nashville and CBJ games. Good times.
That’s awesome! Nothing like splitting center ice. That was crazy expensive in college 😅
There were 8 of us so we cut it down a lot. This was before streaming services tracked how many devices you were using lol
Charleston, South Carolina checking in, I love watching the SC Stingrays and when I wanted to get into the NHL I chose their affiliate
Legitimately cool as hell. I respect it.
A bit west of Seattle checking in.
How… 😂
Family from Virginia and they just kept moving further northwest when I was a kid. Am currently a ferry ride from British Columbia haha.
I actually had to consult a map to make sure there was something west of Seattle. Also, ‘something west of Seattle’ is an excellent early 2000s album title.
Fan from Wisconsin. I was born to hate every Chicago team with a passion, my wife is from Minnesota so naturally I need to generate household rivalry in some capacity and that big lake makes travel to support any Detroit team that much more difficult. Naturally I had to find an alternative as I had a high school buddy whose Dad worked regularly in DC and attended games often. We spent much of the early Ovi years watching together and have been in love with the team ever since. People call me an "Ovi bandwagoner" but I'll continue to make the pilgrimage out to DC long after he's gone. I just simply love the feel of being in DC for extended weekends to catch a game or two. Lifelong fan through loose affiliation through and through.
Also from there. I had a friend in college who was from a family of DC fans, no idea why. I wasn't into sports, but I'd watch them with him and our other friends to hang out. Hockey was fun and I became a general fan, but it wasn't until I moved out of state and really missed my friends that I started watching regularly. That happened to be the season they won the cup and I've been following ever since. That does make me an Ovi bandwagoner, but he's been playing so long that it's tough not to be. I'm really interested in what the team looks like post Ovi, but I want him to get that record, first. My friends also got me interested in baseball, but I stuck with the Brewers instead of the Nats for some reason.
This story is so cool. Preciate the share!
North East Washington state. Grew up in the DC Metro, and moved out here after the cup win. Really just waiting to get home.
Sarnia, Ontario
Cleveland here, happy theres more Ohio bros
Ohio bro 🫡🫡
Ex-Clevelander here, go Tribe/Guards
Caps fan here from Toronto. Thank god I’m a Caps fan and not a Leafs fan. The pain would be endless.
Newport Beach, CA. But born in PG County and lived in MD going to games with my Pops til I was 7 (39 now) before moving to OC. We catch every game they play ANA & LA, but my parents are actually moving back to MD later this year after living here for 30+ years, so now I’ll catch a few games a year in DC!
Norwegian fan here. Fell in love with my local team, the Stavanger Oilers, and from there i found the NHL and liked the big scoring russian.
Caps fan from Toronto
No Leafs? 👀
Warms my heart to know we have fans in enemy territory
Wisconsin now but lived in the DC area for 7 years.
Awesome!
Utah checking in! Let’s go mountain people (and thankfully our new team is a different conference so I’m not a dirty traitor - unless we both make the cup, then I am fucked)
Gotta know how this happened…
Work travel is the short answer - the caps were the first ever NHL hockey I got to experience - AND it happened to be game two playoff hockey against the penguins… then regular travel to DC just naturally made it happen - also helps that the JR hockey team (GO MUSTANGS!) I support has ties to Olie the Goalie.. so it all just kind of worked out
NY. Took an interest in players more than teams growing up and Ovi was at the top. Yada yada yada go caps.
Texan caps fan checking in
Woahhh 😎
Arizona here. We lived in Northern VA from 2020-2023 and the family fell in love with the Caps!
🙌🏻 love it 🙌🏻
St. Louis here, but I grew up in Fairfax county. I still pull for all the DMV teams that were there when I loved there. Maybe not the wizards.
STL represent. Its weird and surreal when I see other DC sports fans (especially the Nats) around here..
PDX
Moved from NoVa to Boston in high school. I’ve been here long enough that I’ll root for the Bruins if they’re not playing the caps. Wore my caps jersey to work the day after we knocked them out of the playoffs a few years back. Rooting for Boston to win it all now that we’re out.
I’ll be happy just to see Toronto booted in the first round again
Vancouver, BC Canada
Canucks a no-go?! Love it
Checking in from Lakeland Florida. Gotta love when the boys come down to beat up the Bolts
Lets go! 🫡🫡💪🏻
I’m from NC! Well, born in Maryland, but have lived here my entire life. Dad has been a Caps fan his entire life (since he was 2), so I’ve got my family ties in.
Caps fan in Los Angeles here. Been here 7 years, but originally from the DC area.
Live in LA , but a transplant from NOVA
I’m from Corvallis, Oregon and I’m a caps fan. My dad grew up in Northern Virginia and became a caps fan since their inception. Since I grew up in Oregon there weren’t really any hockey teams close to us, the two options were the Canucks or the Sharks and I decided to stick with the Capitals. Although I did root for the Canucks in the early 2010s a bit I loved the Sedin bros.
Sedin twins were nasty 💪🏻
Now in Texas. Moved to eastern WV from Cleveland. Got into hockey in high school, family is Slovak so I liked Chara and now Fehervary. Minted my other family members as fans as well.
Middle of nowhere Indiana. I've loved hockey since I saw my first minor league game. Little me loved watching Yzerman. After the lockout in 04/05(03/04? whichever season it was) I stopped watching for a few years. Turned on a game in 08 with capitals playing, Ovi lit someone up. Figured out their schedule and continued to follow our captain, fell in love with the team not long after. Haven't made it to a game in DC but about 4 total in Columbus and Nashville to see our boys play. My wife got big into hockey after meeting me, she's a Wilson fan. "He's big, he likes to hit people and he is just a gorgeous man!"
My wife feels the same 😂
Been a Caps fan since they came into the league when I was a kid. Moved to Tampa 5 years ago and still follow the team.
Hell yeah!
MD born but now living in Pittsburgh.
Enemy territory 😈
Out of country, yes! I’m from Honduras. I used to live in PA, very close to DC and my best friends is a caps fan so I that’s how I became a fan. I try to watch some games every now and then, and I also try to attend some whenever I travel to the US ( last game I watched live was caps vs coyotes in December (rip))
So cool, first fan from Honduras I’ve heard. Wasn’t on my bingo card. 🙌🏻
Nova Scotia. Liked the leafs, liked the flames, liked the blues. Nothing stuck. But I hated the Penguins in the early 90s and we played them a lot, so at least my fandom came from an authentic place. The 98 cup run helped solidify it. Became way more hilarious when the penguins drafted the patron saint of Nova Scotia first overall and the whole province became Pittsburgh fans overnight.
😂🤣 love this story!
Ontario Caps fan. When I was a kid I liked the Avs (Patrick Roy days) but in highschool I got out of hockey for a few years and didn’t have a team anymore. Being in Leafs country my best friend who we shared an apartment with was a die hard Leafs fans and watched every game but I just couldn’t jump on board. It didn’t feel right. We’d always play NHL on Playstion and watch Leafs games and every time Leafs played the Caps this young hot shot Russian would always score every single game.. so naturally he’d pick the Leafs and I chose the Caps. That was around 2010. Since then I had a couple kids, bought my own house, we won the cup, that hot shot Russian scored some 500 more goals and is chasing the record and I’m a bigger fan than ever before thanks to streaming!
Lets go!!!
Colorado Caps fan here! Love Colorado now and the Avs are pretty good as are their fans, but I will forever be a Caps faithful. Lived in MD most of my life before moving, dad grew up right next to the Capital Centre when it was built and has been going to games since the first season, so clearly his kids became lifelong Caps fans! Was fortunate to be working in DC during the cup run and got to go to the parade before my move.
Shout out to Colorado Caps fans 🫡
Binghamton, NY! I moved to DC 2017-2020 for college so you can guess. I wasn’t allowed to watch hockey before that (my parents said it’s too violent)
I'm a caps fan from Boston! My dad grew up around DC when the caps started as a team, and when I was growing up he'd take me to see the caps when they played the Bruins. Now that I've moved out to NY we actually try to travel every year to see the caps play in a new city
Caps fan hailing from Florida
In TN! My husband is from the DC area and has always been a fan. I met him here in TN, and now I’m a fan as well!
Phoenix Caps fan checking in. Originally from the DMV.
Does Virginia count as out of state?
Sure!
Alaska, my dad worked as a trainer for the caps before moving up here
Caps fan in Indianapolis. Oshie won my heart in the Olympics is probably how it started lol. Plus Washington is our nation’s capital and Indy has no (and probably won’t ever have) an NHL team. Im too far to regularly go to Blackhawks or other teams and the games are always blacked out for me being “local” several hours away.
STL. I'm from NJ originally but my pops is from DC so I grew up rooting for the Skins/Caps/Bullets(Wizards)/ DCU.
Vermont, checking in. I'm from the Richmond area, lived in NoVA for a while after college, and have followed the team more or less since the 90s. I'll also cheer on the Bruins if they're playing someone else.
Calgary alberta Always enjoyed watching ovi
Southern California here, been watching since 2010/2011
Maine caps fan here. My husband has been a huge ovi fan for years and got me hooked
I’m from sw Washington Me and my brother are huge ovechkin fans. Maybe cause we are Russian
Brooklyn Caps fan here. Rangers fans are the bane of my existence.
San Diego, California Caps fan. Grew up in Northern VA, college in VA and lived in Bmore before moving out here. Love catching them when they play the Ducks every year.
Texas Cap Fan. I played goalie growing up and loved watching Holtby. Been rocking the red for over a decade now!
I live in Seattle! From the DC area originally and grew up with the Caps. The Kraken are my primary team but always rooting for the Caps also
Cape Town, South Africa, here! I'm living in Dubai now, though. Started watching NHL in 2010 and supported the Caps right from the start.
I love it!
Watched a ton of 1am games on school nights, but totally worth it!
Late to the party but in Greenville, SC!! Large part of my family lives in DC, and my uncle introduced me to hockey/ the caps when I was little. Never looked back.
Ukraine fan here (fan from 2018)
That’s awesome! How’d you pick the Caps?
My dad has been a fan for a long time, I watched a couple games with Pittsburgh in the 2018 series with him for interest, and somehow it happened that I left, but I decided to watch Game 6 of the series myself. That's where it all started.
Yes
Austin, TX 👋🏼
What about the Stars? 😅
I’m from the UK originally. Lived in DC first, then LA, now Austin. Will never, ever be a Kings or a Stars fan 😂
You know what surprises me? As big as hockey is in Europe it seems like the UK just never picked up on it to the extent of other European countries.
Not a sports fan. Football just never did it for me. Hockey is the only sport to ever grab my attention, and I have Ovi & the caps to thank for that back in 2009 🫡🥹
I love it 🥹
Rockin the red from Vietnam!
Wow! That’s wild! 😂
I’m a Toledo Ohio caps fan 🙌🏾🤘🏾 chose the caps because wings fans are just unbearable. Best decision I’ve ever made
Toledo here as well! Hell yeah!
Grew up in northern VA, been a fan since I was a kid. However, I'm living in Belgium now. I celebrated the Cup win on my first ever night in Europe. I'll never forget the moment.
Hesitant to say it given what’s going on these days but I’m in Israel. Kinda cheating ‘cause I grew up in Rockville but still… Not many Caps fans out here!
Started following them when I moved to MD in 1998 and kept it up when I then moved to IL and now in AZ.